I had to "school" some friends this morning on something that a lot of people forget...

[BlueJazz]

...or don't think ahead.

They want to sell their house & move to some part of either North or south Carolina so they can live cheaply.
They went on and on about lower taxes (yeah..kinda') cheaper houses (I suppose) and etc.

I pointed out one thing though that, I'm sure, DUer's are aware of..

How about the price of Cars? About the same.
How about all your appliances ? About the same.
School supplies, Gas, Fuel oil, Electricity, Flooring, Tables and hundreds of other things...about the same.

Your lower wages in some places may not be the heaven-on-earth that you think.
What happens when your TV breaks or computer or internet service?
Your little cheap ass job is not going to pay for those things...your house and taxes on it...maybe.
The solution is pure and simple. Higher wages for all working people.
Moving to "Cheap-Land" is not (always) the answer. Too many other things cost the same.

[Arkansas Granny]

1. That's definitely something people should think about.

The cost of living in another state may be less, but the income is likely to be less, also. The median income here in Arkansas is $37,081 compared to $44,389 nationwide. I don't know where your friends live now, but they might be in for an unpleasant surprise when they look for work in "Cheap-Land".

[Mariana]

2. People can be fooled by "lower taxes".

A lot of them tend to look at the state income tax and forget about everything else. They need to check out every single specific tax and fee they're likely to have to pay. The state income tax may indeed be low or even nonexistent, but the municipal taxes, excise taxes, sales taxes, fees, etc. may be very high to make up for it.

[Fawke Em]

3. Correct.

My state, Tennessee, has no income tax, but we have the highest sales tax in the nation AND there is a tax on food and other necessities.

This hurts the poor and working poor especially.

[Lex]

4. Not everywhere in "North or South Carolina" is cheap to live.

A word to the wise. Chapel Hill? Durham? Charleston? And dozens of other places that would have a cost of living comparable to any other city in the US.

[jeff47]

5. Fuel oil is outrageously expensive in NC...

...since it's generally not readily available. Heat is either from natural gas or heat pumps.

Anyway, there's an army of cost-of-living calculators on the Internet. They'll actually break down what is cheaper and what costs more.

Coming from upstate NY, Gas, electricity, natural gas, taxes and food were all cheaper in NC. Housing cost more, mostly because upstate NY is a wasteland. So it worked out that the cost-of-living was about the same.